This invention relates to the art of equestrian equipment, and more particularly to a saddle handle which takes the place of the conventional saddle horn.
A problem with conventional saddles is that either they have no handhold (e.g., an English saddle), or the handhold is in the form of a horn (e.g., Western saddle). Even a Western saddle is not ideal for riding an unruly or unwilling animal, for example in a rodeo. In fact, a horn can be dangerous, when the horse rolls on the rider. It would be better in such situations to have a handle expressly designed to maximize the grasping force that the rider can maintain.
Prior inventors have provided a number of non-conventional handles for saddles, in various configurations. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,196,595; 3,312,040; 3,438,177; 4,287,705; 5,101,614; and Design Patent 284,705.